Is God really all that interested in our efforts to make Him our own?

I don’t think so.  
I think He is busy trying to kill off our efforts.
I think our efforts at making God our own are misguided at best and very damaging at worst.
We are His own. He makes believers out of us. The person who believes he is still in charge needs to be killed off. [...]

Pastor’s class

Here is a class/bible study that I’ve edited (just to shorten it a bit) , but still left the gist of the class in tact.
It’s about 40 minutes, but is long enough to ruffle a few feathers and maybe open some eyes.
No doubt there will be detractors…and that is quite alright.
Listen in to Pastor Mark Anderson as [...]

Baptism Today

 
This morning out little grandbaby ‘Chloe’ will be baptized.
She will be adopted into God’s family and given all the promises and love and forgiveness that all of God’s children receive.
Her old sinful self (she’s almost 8 months old!) will be put to death in the water and the Word of baptism (she will participate in [...]

Do you look good on wood?

Each and every person on this planet faces their own cross.
We will either go to it in this life, or the next.
When I see a cross, that is the first thing I am reminded of…that I will not escape it. The world will have it’s way with me unto the grave.
But that grave will not hold me. [...]

Off to be killed…

…and then raised again.
Not going to receive any special instructions. Not going to find out any secrets for spiritual living.
Not going to get prodded with the stick of how I should be feeding the poor and helping the sick, and visiting the lonely…(all of which I should be doing).
I am going to receive the Word [...]

Baptism

This Sunday’s sermon by Pastor Mark Anderson of Lutheran Church of the Master is about   Baptism  < click 

 The author Flannery O’Connor was at  Mary McCarthy’s apartment, and Mary McCarthy said that the communion wafer was merely a symbol of the Holy Ghost and a good one at that, whereupon Flannery O’Connor made her famous reply, “Well, [...]

‘Sprinkling’…’Full Immersion’…does it matter to God?

I was (am)  involved in a discussion over at ‘The Prodigal’s Knot…Untied’  http://prodigalsknots.wordpress.com/   on wether baptism has to be full immersion in water, or if sprinlkling or pouring of water is also effective, and constitutes a proper baptism.
 
 
 
 
 
 
The discussion at one point turned to inmates in prison, who coud not be baptised because there was [...]

Suprising answer from my Mom

My wife and I were out to dinner last evening with my Mom to celebrate her 74th birthday. If she read this blog it would be the 64th.
We had a very nice dinner and a nice time discussing all matter of topics, mostly family related. My Mom is not a religious person and hasn’t been in [...]

It’s Worse than We Thought

‘ The Problem’ turns out to be a lot worse than we thought.
There is actually not one wit of hope. With all of our reason, with all of our know- how, with all of our striving, with all of our good will… there is no overcoming it.
“But we are making advances!” “But we now [...]

Poo-Pooing Baptism

I read a short introduction on a church’s website this morning. The intro was trying to tug on a persons heartstrings and get them to doubt in what had been done for them in their baptism. Once you realized that your baptism doesn’t mean anything…then they can lead you in the proper direction and help [...]